I always make sure to check the batteries in my smoke detector around daylight savings time, but remembering when the smoke detector itself was last replaced is more difficult to keep track of. The best smoke detectors last 10 years, which is the same interval the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends for replacement.
To identify the best smoke detectors, we used several in our homes for at least six months (and up to several years), noting any difficulties we had with installation, maintenance, or testing, whether or not we had any false alarms, and other factors. I also relied on my own experience installing and using fire alarms, guidance from the NFPA, and advice from fire safety experts about the types of smoke detector sensors.
According to Dan Mock, vice president of operations at nationwide electrical service Mister Sparky, “Photoelectric smoke detectors work well when detecting smoldering fires and are great for areas like your kitchen or living rooms, while ionization detectors are best for bedrooms.”
Our testing found that Kidde is the most popular smoke detector brand, but Nest is also well loved as a smart home alternative. Hardwired and battery-powered models both performed well, but I recommend choosing a wired model to take advantage of the higher reliability if you have the wiring already in place. Otherwise, battery-powered smoke detectors are a lot easier to install strategically throughout your house (and work well in a smaller home like my own).
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Good detecting fast-burning fires
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Hard-wired with battery backup
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No false alarms experienced
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Recommended by local fire department
If you’re replacing old hardwired smoke detectors, the Kidde Hardwired Smoke Alarm I4618 is the best option. This smoke detector uses an ionization sensor, which means it’s best at detecting fast-burning fires with hot flames—the exact kind of fire that’s likely to involve furniture and other items in your living and sleeping areas.
These are hard-wired smoke detectors, so they do require professional installation. You can replace an old hard-wired smoke detector with one of these if you’re comfortable with basic wiring (like changing a light fixture), but you’ll need to work with an electrician if your home isn’t already wired for smoke detectors.
We’ve had these installed for about six months in bedrooms, a hallway, dining room, office, and basement without any annoying false alarms, which is a huge improvement over the smoke detectors they replaced. Ionizing sensors can trigger false alarms from cooking fumes, but we haven’t had that issue. These are interconnectable, so you can install a Kidde 20SA10 (with a photoelectric sensor) near your kitchen if you do experience false alarms.
One thing I like about this smoke detector is that while it’s hard-wired, it also has a battery backup to keep it working when your power is out. That means it can still chirp just like a battery-powered smoke detector, but it’s an important safety feature. Kidde also cautions to only use approved batteries (some batteries are detected as being low on power even if they aren’t, which can lead to a premature alert to change the batteries).
Sensor Type: Ionization | Power Source: Hard-wired, battery backup | Compliance with Safety Standards: UL Listed | Test/Silence Button: Yes
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The Kidde i4618 Hardwired Smoke Detector uses ionization sensors, so they’re good for bedrooms.
PHOTO: The Spruce
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We love that the detectors are interconnected, so a fire one room will set them all off.
PHOTO: The Spruce
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10-year battery life
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Simple installation
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Self-testing
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Easy false alarm button
The Kidde Detect Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Detector is a battery-operated model that’s easy to install and use. This is the smoke detector I use in my own home, because I have a smaller single-story house that doesn’t require a complicated smoke detector setup.
The mounting plate attaches with two screws, and the detector attaches with an easy twisting motion in just a few seconds. The big test/hush button is easy to reach and operate, with a clear LED indicator that shows if the detector is working properly or not. It doesn’t have any interconnectivity, but that isn’t an issue for me since I can cover my whole house with two of these and hear them both from anywhere in the house.
The best thing about this smoke detector is the battery life. I’ve always been in the habit of replacing smoke alarm batteries once a year at daylight savings time. That isn’t necessary anymore since this smoke detector has a battery that lasts 10 years. That’s how long the sensor itself is rated to last, so there’s no need to ever replace the battery.
I also like that this is a combination model that detects both smoke and carbon monoxide, like our best smart pick. Carbon monoxide isn’t my biggest concern since I don’t have gas appliances and don’t park a vehicle in the attached garage, but it’s an extra little peace of mind without any additional hassle.
Sensor Type: Photoelectric, CO | Power Source: Battery | Compliance with Safety Standards: UL Listed | Test/Silence Button: Yes
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Quick and easy installation
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No false alarms experienced
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Integrates with SimpliSafe security system
The SimpliSafe Smoke Detector is the best interconnected option because it’s reliable, easy to install, and you can use it with or without subscription-based monitoring from SimpliSafe. I like interconnected smoke detectors because they’re capable of sounding the alarm whenever any individual detector in the system senses smoke, which is a huge safety benefit.
Our overall best recommendation is also an interconnected smoke detector, but it’s a hard-wired model that can only connect to other hard-wired detectors. That makes this one a much better option for self-installation—no need for an electrician, and you can install them while setting up a SimpliSafe system, add one to an existing SimpliSafe system at any time, or even use them as standalone smoke detectors without any other SimpliSafe devices in your home.
This smoke detector is easy to install, like our best combination pick, but the battery life is shorter and the batteries are a little inconvenient to get to. SimpliSafe says the batteries can last about two years though, which is an improvement over yearly replacement. You can use one or two of these in your home without a larger SimpliSafe system, too.
If you want to use them in an interconnected fashion, you’ll need a SimpliSafe base station like the one that comes with their Wireless Home Security System. If you don’t have a hub, they work just like a standalone battery-powered smoke detector (with a built-in 85 dB alarm).
Sensor Type: Photoelectric | Power Source: Battery | Compliance with Safety Standards: UL Listed | Test/Silence Button: Yes
The Spruce
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The Google Nest Protect is the best smart smoke detector available (and it isn’t even close). It uses an advanced photoelectric sensor that’s more effective than the basic sensors in most smoke detectors, detects carbon monoxide, acts as a nightlight, and sends phone notifications and voice alerts in addition to a traditional alarm.
What I really love about this smoke detector is what Nest refers to as “split spectrum detection,” which is more effective at sensing fast-burning fires than regular photoelectric sensors. Ionizing sensors like the one included in our overall best recommendation are also good at that, but the split spectrum sensor in this detector is also good at sensing smoke (without a lot of false alarms from cooking fumes, high humidity, steam, or even dust in the air).
Since it’s a smart smoke detector, the Nest Protect also has a lot of other benefits. It performs monthly self-checks and provides reports and updates through the app, and it also acts as a night light to help you see where you’re going at night.
If you have more than one in your home and one senses smoke, they’ll all provide voice alerts telling you exactly where in the house the smoke was detected. No more wondering if it’s a false alarm (or which detector triggered the alarm), and in the event there is a fire, you know what rooms to avoid while escaping.
The only reason I don’t use this smoke detector in my own home is that I primarily use Alexa to run my smart home equipment, and the Nest Protect only works with Google’s smart home ecosystem. You can still use this smoke detector with your phone if you don’t have any other Google Home or Nest products, but it’s most useful in a Google-powered smart home.
Sensor Type: Photoelectric, CO | Power Source: Battery or Hard-wired | Compliance with Safety Standards: UL Listed | Test/Silence Button: Yes
Final Verdict
We recommend the Kidde Hardwired Smoke Alarm I4618 as the overall best smoke detector, because it offers the reliability of ward-wired power with a battery backup, an ionizing sensor that’s great at detecting fast-burning fires, and it can connect to other compatible smoke detectors. My own personal favorite is the Kidde Detect Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm (our best combination pick), because it’s so easy to install and maintain. The battery even lasts 10 years, so it’s time to replace the smoke detector by the time the battery runs down.
How We Picked Smoke Detectors
To determine the best smoke detectors, I considered NFPA recommendations and the advice of fire safety experts. I also researched models that are Underwriter Laboratories (UL) listed to make sure they meet regulatory requirements (in some areas, you will fail a fire inspection if your smoke detectors don’t have the right certifications).
We’ve used all of the smoke detectors we recommend in our own homes, verifying that they don’t trigger a lot of unnecessary false alarms and they’re easy to test and maintain. From those real-world experiences, I also prioritized useful features like a silence button and considered factors such as ease of installation, interconnectivity, and smart home connectivity when selecting which smoke detectors to recommend.
What to Look For in a Smoke Detector
The Right Smoke Sensor For the Room
Smoke detectors can use two types of sensors, and each one is best at detecting different types of fires. That’s why you should consider where you’ll place your smoke detectors and which type you need (or if you need both).
Fire Prevention Expert Paul Christofi explains, “Ionization sensors are adept at detecting fast flames, whereas photoelectric sensors excel in identifying smoldering fires.”
Photoelectric sensors are the most common, and most of our recommendations use that type of sensor. The exception is our overall best recommendation, which uses an ionization sensor. According to the NFPA, having both sensors provides the greatest level of protection.(citation: https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/home-fire-safety/smoke-alarms/ionization-vs-photoelectric)
One of the reasons I like the Kidde Hardwired Smoke Alarm I4618 that we recommend best overall is that it can connect to other wired Kidde smoke detectors (including photoelectric models).
That means you can use the ionizing sensor in the sleeping and living areas of your home where fast-burning furniture fires are more likely to occur, and also use a hardwired photoelectric Kidde sensor near humid bathrooms or your kitchen where an ionizing sensor is more likely to trigger false alarms.
“For residential use, we suggest photoelectric sensors in kitchens to reduce false alarms caused by cooking smoke and ionization sensors in rooms where quick-burning materials are present,” says Christofi.
Powering Your Smoke Detector
Smoke detectors can be connected to your home’s electrical system or powered by batteries. Battery-powered smoke detectors are easier to install, but hardwired smoke detectors are more dependable (which is an important consideration for fire safety devices).
“We recommend hardwired alarms for their enhanced reliability, especially in larger homes where comprehensive coverage is essential,” Christofi says.
Our overall best recommendation is a hardwired smoke detector, but each option has its own strong points. The main deciding factor for most people is whether or not their home is wired for smoke detectors. If your home isn’t already wired for smoke detectors, switching over would require the services of an electrician on top of the cost of buying the smoke detectors.
If you opt for a battery-powered smoke detector, then it’s important to consider what type of batteries it uses and how often they need to be replaced. Lots of smoke detectors use one 9V battery or two AA batteries that need to be replaced every year, but our best combination pick has a lithium battery that lasts 10 years. One of the reasons I use that smoke detector in my own home is the convenience of not needing to replace the battery.
The Spruce
Consider Interconnectivity Between Sensors
If you have a large home with a lot of rooms or closed-off spaces, you might want to consider a series of interconnected smoke detectors. This feature allows every detector in your home to sound the alarm whenever one of them detects smoke, so it’s mostly useful if there are parts of your home where you wouldn’t be able to hear a smoke detector going off elsewhere in the house.
Our best interconnected pick is convenient to use because it’s wireless. It does require a base station to make use of the interconnectivity (otherwise the detectors just work as standalone units), but I love how easy it is to install these detectors yourself and that there isn’t any wiring required.
Do You Need Smarthome Connectivity?
Our best smart pick also has interconnectivity features, but it’s through Wi-Fi instead. In that case you need to hook up multiple Nest Protect smoke detectors in your home (either hard-wired or battery-powered), and then they connect through your Wi-Fi network.
In addition to interconnectivity, a smart smoke detector can also provide a lot of other benefits, like sending alerts to your phone in addition to audible alarms. So if you’re away from home when a fire starts, you’ll receive an alert immediately wherever you are.
Easy Testing and Maintenance
The NFPA recommends testing your smoke detectors every month(cite), so that process should be quick and easy.
Every smoke detector has some way to test and make sure it still works, but some have complicated test procedures or buttons that are difficult to locate or use. Our overall best recommendation has a large button that’s located right in the center of the device, with clear instructions to hold it to perform the weekly test (it doubles as a hush button for false alarms too).
Some smoke detectors are a little more advanced, like our best combination pick that performs regular self tests and lets you know if there’s a problem. It’s still important to test it manually once a week, but I like this feature because it provides a little extra peace of mind. Our best smart pick also runs self-tests (but only once per month).
Why Trust The Spruce?
I’m Jeremy Laukkonen, an updates writer for The Spruce with over a decade of experience writing about home goods and safety devices like gas leak detectors, carbon monoxide detectors. One of the reasons I like self-contained smoke detectors with easily-accessible reset buttons dates back to an unpleasant experience I had with the hardwired detectors I had in my last house (complete with a very loud outdoor siren) that involved finishing sous vide steaks in a cast iron pan.
To prepare for this article, I considered advice from fire safety experts, relied on my own experience with installing and using smoke detectors, and reviewed insights from our at-home testing—evaluating each smoke detector for reliability, ease of use, types of sensors, and other factors.
- Dan Mock, vice president of operations at Mister Sparky
- Paul Christofi, Fire Protection Expert at FC Fire Prevention
